“What if I go with you?”
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone reacted differently.
Lu Zhuonian’s heart stirred slightly. Yan Luo looked like a grieving mother.
Liu Yuebo and Xue Duo were confused.
They didn’t know Lu Zhuonian and Chen Zemian were involved, but they could feel the shift in atmosphere.
Watching Lu Zhuonian and Chen Zemian suddenly exchange glances, Liu Yuebo and Xue Duo felt so awkward they might as well have been under a car instead of at the airport.
The woman checking tickets kept her smile calm and professional. Internally, she rolled her eyes. All airport staff understood the situation too well.
Chen Zemian regretted speaking the moment he did.
He felt like he’d lost his mind—humiliating himself at the international airport. Thankfully, the VVVVVIP terminal had a private entrance, and no one else had witnessed his breakdown. It wasn’t like…
They’d never see each other again. Why were they acting out a melodrama?
It was embarrassing.
Worse, his two younger brothers—Liu Yuebo and Yan Luo—were still standing there!
Chen Zemian nudged Lu Zhuonian. “Go on. I’ll come find you later.”
Lu Zhuonian’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. His tongue touched the roof of his mouth as he gave Chen Zemian a long, heavy look before turning toward the boarding gate.
Liu Yuebo and Xue Duo exchanged glances, choosing to remain silent.
On the way back, Chen Zemian’s mood was visibly low.
While Lu Zhuonian was still in the country, no one in their social circle dared invite Chen Zemian out for drinks.
But now that Lu Zhuonian was abroad, Chen Zemian was “free.” Liu Yuebo had planned to ask him out, but changed his mind when he saw how uninterested he was. He and Xue Duo left without a word.
Chen Zemian really didn’t feel like doing anything.
The flight from Beijing to Boston took 15 hours and 20 minutes. For those hours, there wasn’t much room for distractions.
After lunch with Yan Luo, they collapsed on opposite ends of the couch and started planning the next trip.
After the college entrance exam, Yan Luo moved into Chen Zemian’s villa. The estate, Shengfu Huating, had tight security. His father couldn’t find him. Even if he still had designs on the inheritance, he’d have to give up.
After dinner, Chen Zemian went to Lu Zhuonian’s villa and brought home the pot of jasmine.
Nine hours remained before the plane landed.
Time had never moved so slowly.
Wasn’t it supposed to speed up the moment the protagonist flew abroad? So why wasn’t it speeding up now?!
In July, the heat rose day by day. With temperatures nearing 40°C, Chen Zemian and Yan Luo set off on a westward tour.
They started in Beijing, traveled across the grasslands and the Yellow River, saw ancient cities and terracotta warriors, hiked Danxia Road into Dunhuang, admired the murals of Mogao Grottoes by day, and rode camels up Mingsha Mountain at sunset.
At night, under a sky full of stars, Chen Zemian took a photo of the Milky Way and sent it to Lu Zhuonian.
The reply came quickly—with a photo of the Boston sunrise.
Their westward journey along the Silk Road ended at Huoyan Mountain.
Beneath the burning sun, the two nearly melted. They headed to the nearest airport and dragged themselves back to Beijing.
After resting at home for two days, Chen Zemian returned to the studio.
He hadn’t used sunscreen properly during the trip, and came back several shades darker. Zheng Huaiyu’s attitude plummeted.
“My boyfriend goes abroad and comes back from the desert,” he muttered, pressing a sheet mask onto Chen Zemian’s face. “If Nuwa knew how little you valued your own face, she’d be sobbing in her sleep. Didn’t Lu Zhuonian say anything about your skin tone?”
Essence dripped down Chen Zemian’s cheeks. He leaned back and wiped it away. “He said I looked more handsome.”
Zheng Huaiyu peeled the mask off and frowned. “No. I liked you pale. I don’t want to see you tan.”
“I’m the boss!” Chen Zemian protested.
Zheng Huaiyu reclined the chair, covered his neck and hands with extra masks like he was restoring a delicate sculpture. “Do it for my eyes, boss.”
The coolness of the masks was soothing. Chen Zemian stopped resisting.
As he finished, Zheng Huaiyu gave his report.
Twenty minutes later, he removed the masks. The skin was visibly brighter and smoother.
Satisfied, he nodded. “Apply another one tomorrow.” He pulled out his phone and ordered a pile of whitening products. “You sure you didn’t tan?”
Chen Zemian rolled up his sleeves. “No.”
Zheng Huaiyu wasn’t convinced. “Show me your legs.”
With a sigh, Chen Zemian lifted his pant legs.
Zheng Huaiyu’s frown deepened. “Your arms and legs weren’t this mismatched before. You need full-body whitening.”
“…”
“I got you a whitening essential oil bath bomb. Use it.”
That evening, during a video call with Lu Zhuonian, Chen Zemian asked, “Am I really that dark?”
Lu Zhuonian looked at the screen for a moment. “No.”
“But Huaiyu said the color difference is huge.” Chen held up his arm next to his thigh.
“Why do you care what he says?”
“He’s obsessed with appearances. Since I tanned, he’s barely shown up at work.”
Lu Zhuonian laughed. “He’s capable. If he’d focus, you’d have less to deal with.”
“Yeah. He holds the place together. I could take a month off and no one would notice. But if he’s off for half a day, my phone explodes.” Chen flipped the camera to show the whitening products. “I’m about to bathe with these. Imagine—the boss whitening his skin just so the secretary will show up.”
Lu Zhuonian looked amused. “Will it work for the whole body?”
“It says so. I threw in three bath bombs just in case.”
A week later, Chen Zemian sent his results.
“It worked.” He switched to his back camera and took a quick photo. “See?”
“I’m in a group meeting,” Lu Zhuonian replied.
Chen Zemian’s face turned bright red.
Why does he always forget the time difference?!
It was nighttime in China—his usual routine: bathe, call, sleep. But across the globe, Lu Zhuonian was neatly dressed and seated in class. He muted the call, said something in English, and then the video shook.
A door closed.
“I’m out now,” Lu Zhuonian said in a low voice. “I didn’t see it clearly before. Show me again.”
Chen Zemian blinked. “Where are you?”
“In the bathroom stall.”
Chen Zemian suddenly felt like a wicked concubine seducing the emperor away from court. He’d lured upright, dutiful Lu Zhuonian out of a team meeting to watch a naked selfie in a restroom cubicle.
But since he was there…
He took another shot.
Lu Zhuonian’s thumb rubbed the screen. His voice was steady. “Definitely whiter.”
Chen Zemian turned the camera around. “Next time tell me when you have class. I always forget it’s daytime there and assume you’re alone.”
“If I were alone, what else would you show me?”
Chen Zemian flushed. “Nothing! Just this! Okay?”
Lu Zhuonian chuckled softly. “It’s beautiful. Like a jade sculpture.”
“How beautiful?” Chen Zemian asked shyly. “Do you want to kiss it?”
Lu Zhuonian’s Adam’s apple moved. His eyes darkened. “I do.”
“So do I.”
They’d been apart for over forty days. Since meeting, they’d never gone this long without seeing each other.
Lu Zhuonian’s sex addiction hadn’t vanished. He had an episode recently, took paroxetine, and took half a day off to recover.
He hadn’t told Chen Zemian. If he had, Chen would’ve flown to Boston on the spot.
Lu Zhuonian missed him, but didn’t want Chen Zemian to come just to “treat” him. He hoped Chen would come simply because he wanted to.
They’d end up in bed anyway—but there was a difference between doing it out of need and doing it for love. Chen Zemian was his lover, not a tool.
Lu Zhuonian had always been strict with himself, but soft with others. He wouldn’t objectify Chen Zemian—though he didn’t mind being objectified by him.
“The next flight leaves in three hours,” Lu Zhuonian said. “It’s Friday, I’m free this weekend. I’ll fly tonight, and land Saturday morning.”
That gave them about thirty hours together before he’d have to fly back Sunday. He could rest on the plane and go straight to class Monday.
Everything fit neatly.
“I’ll come to you instead,” Chen Zemian said. “You’ve got class. I’m free. I can stay longer.”
Lu Zhuonian gave a small, skeptical laugh. “If I didn’t say I was coming to see you, You’d never say you were coming to see me.”
Chen Zemian fell silent.
Lu Zhuonian regretted the words as soon as he spoke them.
They came from the heart—but contradicted the relationship he wanted. A moment ago, he’d been thinking how love shouldn’t come with obligations. Chen Zemian should visit because he missed him—not to fulfill some unspoken duty.
Still, the words had slipped out before he could stop them.
Love makes people foolish.
“I’m sorry,” Lu Zhuonian said. “Can I take that back?”
Chen Zemian huffed. “Lu Zhuonian, you’re so two-faced. You think one thing, say another, then scold yourself for it. You obviously want me to come, but you still act reserved.”
Lu Zhuonian owned up. “You’re right. I’ll stop pretending. I’ll just say what I mean.”
“That’s better.” Chen Zemian flipped the camera. “See the suitcase? I already booked my flight. Why else do you think I was being so flirty?”
Lu Zhuonian spoke without hesitation. “Because you are flirty.”
Chen Zemian’s phone wobbled. His tone shot up in disbelief. “What did you say? Are you crazy?!”
Lu Zhuonian’s voice remained dry. “You’d be upset if I really said it.”
*****
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Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
